Production house c.2K, which has made its mark largely via work bound for Europe and Asia, is looking to establish itself in the U.S. spotmaking market. Headed by directors Ken Musen and Rod Findley, the Los Angeles-based company has signed director Pierre de Lespinois for exclusive representation in commercials; and has named Jennifer Silver Nieman as executive producer.
Additionally, in order to attain a higher American spot profile. C.2K has begun assembling a sales force. The shop has named independent reps Perry Schaffer and Jack Lewis to handle the East Coast and the Midwest, respectively. The announcement of a West Coast rep is imminent.
De Lespinois returns to the spot arena after devoting the past 18 months to directing The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, a $40-million TV series, co-produced by Filmline International, Montreal, and Talisman Crest, London. The 22 hour-long episodes were shot entirely HD and feature sophisticated visual effects, often meshing live action with high resolution, 3-D CGI. With more than 100 national TV commercials to his credit (e.g.—Nike, Merrill Lynch, Chevy Trucks), de Lespinois previously helmed ads via now defunct Crest Film, a Santa Monica shop in which he was a principal.
Having met c.2K’s Findley and Musen at a recent HDTV conference in Japan, de Lespinois said that he found they shared his passion for filmmaking. This led to his decision to sign with the company.
De Lespinois has followed a most unusual career path. Trained as a marine biologist, he got into filmmaking while working as an aquanaut in a habitat on the ocean floor. In order to record his experiences, he built his own camera equipment that could withstand the pressures a mile below the ocean surface. He went on to parlay that experience into other adventurous filmmaking assignments, including one that took him to the top of the Himalayas. His credits include episodic television series and documentaries.
As a commercial director, de Lespinois has credits that include "Ski Team" for Chevy Trucks via Campbell-Ewald, Warren, Mich., about handicapped athletes competing in the Olympics; and "Speed Skaters" for Bozell New York, promoting Merrill Lynch’s sponsorship of the U.S. Olympics team. De Lespinois also directed the Nike :30 "Wild," out of Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, which includes scenes of mountain-biking, wind-surfing, trail-running and body-boarding.
De Lespinois’ marine experience is evident in many of his commercials. For a spot titled "Dolphins," promoting jet ski-maker Sea-Doo, the director needed to show a large school of the aquatic mammals leaping high into the air while frolicking in the ocean. Remarkably, he shot it practically. "Everything in the spot looks real because it is real," declared de Lespinois. "The dolphins’ movements, appearance and reflections could have been done in CGI, but would have taken days or weeks. I shot all of the elements in 20 minutes and composited the whole thing in a day and a half."
In addition to Musen, Findley and de Lespinois, c.2K represents directors Doug Lay and Yasushi Matsuura. Musen’s recent work includes spots for H20 Cosmetics (NPC, Tokyo), Kadokawa Shoten (client direct) and La Victoria Salsa (Latimar, Los Angeles). To showcase his fashion-oriented eye, Musen recently helmed a spec Tommy Hilfiger spot. Findley has directed spots for Toshiba (NPC, Hong Kong), Ricoh (NPC, Tokyo), Mitsukoshi (Dentsu, Tokyo) and JVC (client direct).
NIEMAN
Nieman previously served as head of production at Los Angeles-headquartered A Band Apart Commercials. During her three-and-a-half years there, she produced, among assorted spots, The Gap’s "Gap Country," directed by McG, and the Rent Sidon-directed Budweiser spot "Only the Best for Fred" that debuted during this year’s Super Bowl telecast. (Sidon has since joined bicoastal Shelter Films.) She also produced spots for director Paul Street introducing the GMC Yukon. Nieman’s background additionally includes three years at Wild Scientific, Los Angeles, where she was production supervisor for director David Wild.
In explaining her move to c.2K, Nieman said she was impressed with the talent of directors Musen and Findley and welcomed the opportunity to help the company grow. "C.2K is a director-owned company, and as such it is focused on the creative and on the career development of its directors," she noted. "I look forward to helping this company move into the mainstream of U.S. advertising."
Nieman added that she sees untapped potential in the U.S. market for both Musen, whom she describes as a strong visual storyteller, and Findley, whose specialty is comedy. "Both directors bring fresh looks and unique perspectives to U.S. advertising," she observed. "And both Ken and Rod have a great variety of experiences that have made them well-rounded filmmakers."
C.2K founders Musen and Findley met while attending USC Film School. In addition to its commercial work, the company has produced documentaries, television programs and corporate media. The firm also has experience in HDTV production. Findley’s 30-minute dramatic short Dark Horizon was recognized at numerous international festivals, including the Cine and Houston Worldfest competitions. His hour-long documentary James Cameron: From Terminator to Titanic was short-listed for an International Emmy in ’98. Findley, along with co-director John Ketcham (producer of The Hurricane), is currently working on a documentary about Anthony Porter, an Illinois man who spent 17 years on Death Row for a crime he did not commit. Michael Apted is executive producer on the project.
